CA090: 6 ways to measure success

6 ways to measure success

Have you thought about what success looks like to you? If so, how do you measure your success? 

Actually the first question is – do you need to to measure success?

We say yes.  

One, because when you measure your success it makes you think about it.  What is success and what does it mean to you? It makes you aware of what you want in life or business, rather than wandering aimlessly.

Two, it gives you something to aim for, and we know that as humans we thrive and are generally happier and more fulfilled when we have a sense of purpose.

Three, what gets measured gets done.

It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement — that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.” ~ Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

So how do you measure success?

That depends on the sort of success it is. Here’s 6 ways to measure success – or 6 different types of success and our (some obvious and some not so obvious) suggestions of how to measure them. 

1. Academic success

• Test results, marked work, grades
• Qualifications
  • success at taking tests or being good at exams
  • a test of memory
  • a specific skill or ability such as art or sport
• Ability to reason
• Create a coherent argument

2. Work and career success

• Salary
• Title
• Promotion
• Status
• Achievements
• Bottom line –sales, bonuses
• Social impact

3. Business success

• Number of products produced
• Number of products or services sold
• Success statistics according to the industry e.g. online - the number of website visitors or signups; podcasting - the number of downloads and listeners
• The ultimate measure of success is business is profit – with the possible exception of social enterprises.

4. Body, health and fitness success

• Weight including:
  • calories consumed in a day
  • weight loss and gain
• Body measurements
• Percentage of Fat
• Cholesterol, blood pressure etc.
• Fitness
  • Number of repetitions
  • weight lifted
  • time spent running
  • distance covered
  • number of visits to the gym or sports played in a week
• Inches lost or gained
• % of fat or blood pressure or cholesterol reduced
• Softer measures
  • increased self-esteem and confidence
  • look good
  • feel stronger and fitter, able to walk further or do more

5. Lifestyle

• Experiences
• Travel –
  • locations,
  • time away
  • holidays
• Making enough money to support
  • travel
  • lifestyle
  • hobbies
  • experiences you want
  • Enough money to live where and how you want e.g. on a beach for a year like a digital nomad
• It’s a different way of measuring success but just as valid and maybe more fun

6. Love and Relationships

• Number of years in a relationship or anniversaries reached
• Love hard to define and therefore hard to measure
• Something to do with feelings and compatibility
• Happy family
• Number of friends or people in your networks (although can be superficial)

Episode 90 of The Changeability Podcast

Hear us talk more about this in episode 90